Latest KFF Health News Stories
FDA Bans Electrical Stimulation Devices For Behavior Control In Rare Move
The use of the devices, developed several decades ago, has been found to worsen conditions when applied to people who have intellectual or developmental difficulties. Public health news is on antibiotic resistance, fish oil supplements, and thirdhand smoke, as well.
The head of the EPA says the proposal would bring greater transparency to the agency, but scientists warn that the regulation would dilute some of the most important environmental research of the past decades. News is also on a former chemical industry exec tapped to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
For example, the coronavirus is new and unfamiliar, unlike the usual seasonal flu that kills a lot more people every year than coronavirus has, and seems hard to contain by the government health experts whose job it is to do just that. On top of that there’s no current vaccine or drug used to treat it. In other news: mortality rates, how to prepare, the 2 strains of COVID-19, face masks, fighting misinformation, and more.
President Donald Trump continues to minimize the time required to create and test a vaccine, and some health experts worry that the mixed messaging can further muddy a confusing and trying time for the country. “I observe that the president has been listening, but since he’s not a scientist I don’t think he understands the nuances,” said William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University. Meanwhile, recruitment for a vaccine trial begins in Washington state.
“To make sure that we’re doing everything we can as a health care system to contain the spread of the coronavirus, that our focus should be on infection control,” CMS Administrator Seema Verma said of the agency’s directions to state agencies that survey nursing homes and hospital accrediting organizations. Nursing homes are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus, as the mortality rate climbs sharply in elderly patients.
‘This Should Not Be About Politics’: House Overwhelmingly Passes $8.3B Coronavirus Funding Bill
The bill includes about $7.7 billion in new discretionary spending to bolster vaccine development, research, equipment stockpiles and state and local health budgets, as government officials and health workers fight to contain the outbreak. The House moved unusually quick in a rare sign of bipartisanship in a highly divided Congress. It next goes to the Senate.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the two votes to watch in the highly anticipated abortion case, focused on whether the benefits from the legislation–which requires abortion providers to have hospital admitting privileges–would be the same in all states. The question hearkens back to the Texas measure that was knocked down by the Supreme Court in 2016. Meanwhile, Roberts took the unusual step of chastising Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for saying that the Supreme Court justices will pay the price for their decisions.
As the number of coronavirus cases reached 11 in New York, officials sought to reassure transit riders that it remains safe to travel. Media outlets look at how local and state officials are handling the outbreak as more states confirm cases.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
During A Pandemic, States’ Patchwork Of Crisis Strategies Could Mean Uneven Care
If a coronavirus pandemic were to hit the U.S., only 36 states have blueprints for “crisis standards of care” to sort out who gets what kind of medical care amid scarce resources. And not all the plans are of high quality. That means health care providers in some states will be better prepared for a crisis than others — but all could face tough decisions.
As Coronavirus Cases Grow, So Does Scrutiny Of Nursing Home Infection Plans
Seema Verma, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, calls on state and federal health inspectors to focus on how facilities keep infections from spreading, especially in areas that have reported coronavirus cases.
Media outlets report on news from Illinois, Hawaii, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Georgia, Washington, California, Alabama and Tennessee.
Virginia Governor Signs Bill Banning Discredited Practice Of Conversion Therapy For Minors
Gov. Ralph Northam, a pediatric physician, said “No one should be made to feel they are not OK the way they are — especially not a child.” Virginia became the 20th state to ban the practice.
‘Wellbeing Of Maine Children Prevailed’: Voters Decide To Keep Vaccine Requirements
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills had strongly encouraged voters to not reject the new law, which eliminates religious and philosophical exemptions. Opt-out rates in Maine had reached the sixth highest in the nation.
Media outlets take a look at the global response to the coronavirus outbreak.
So You’re Returning Home From A Coronavirus Hotspot. What Do You Do Next?
Without strict guidance, a lot of people are guessing at what to do. Experts say it’s indicative of the problems with the response from both local and federal officials. “I feel like we’re on a high-speed train, and they’re making decisions based on where we are right now on that train and not where we’re going to be in an hour,” said Lawrence Gostin, of Georgetown University.
In a sign of the rosier tone President Donald Trump is striking, he promised a vaccine “soon,” but experts say it could be up to 18 months away.
Vaccine Costs Throw Wrench In Congressional Emergency Funding Plans
“We want to make sure — you know, we want to make sure that it either, with the vaccine, that no one, no one, whatever their income, avoids getting the vaccine because they can’t afford it,” said Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer. Meanwhile, senators press Trump officials over the administration’s response to the outbreak.
Meanwhile, authorities announced that the first virus-related deaths tied to the Washington state nursing center occurred days earlier than previously known, well before residents had been quarantined in their rooms. Officials say the Seattle area is poised for an explosive uptick in cases much like the early days in Wuhan, China.
Más inspecciones en hogares de adultos mayores a medida que crece el coronavirus
En los últimos tres años, 9.372 hogares, es decir el 61%, han sido citados por problemas con la higiene u otras normas de prevención y control de infecciones.